Next to Godliness

To many Progressive Era reformers, the extent of street cleanliness was considered an important gauge for determining the conditions necessary for impoverished immigrants to attain a state of ''decency''oa level of individual morality and well-being that would ensure a healthy and orderly city. This study examines prominent street sanitation issues in Progressive Era New York Cityofrom garbage strikes to ''juvenile cleaning leagues''oto explore how middle-class reformers amassed a cross-class and cross-ethnic base of support for social reform measures to a degree greater than in practically any other period of prosperity in U.S. history. Daniel Eli Burnstein is an associate professor of history at Seattle University.